The 2 hands of nurses

As nurses we use our hands to;

• comfort,
• care for,
• support, and
• generally to give to others

Take some time in November to share the giving your hands provide... with yourself :)

Sleep

Sleep
Glorious, restful, refreshing sleep
I certainly haven't had enough recently
Strange how I push the limits every so often & conduct my own social survey to see exactly how little sleep I can survive on
When will I learn!!!

Take your breaks !!

Frequent short breaks keep you sane and
help you manage your stress levels
Do you take your breaks?

Stress and You...

How's your stress levels?
Take this opportunity to check
Reached your stress tolerance level?
Do something today to put some perspective back!!
Take action to calm the stress factors in your life
Let us know how you go...

The mat...

In terms of self care my yoga practice sees to be having the most positive impact at the moment, no matter what is happening in my life 'taking it to the mat' seems to work for me
Makes me laugh really given that is also one of the commands for my dog 'on the mat'
Works just as well for her as for me :)
What works for you?

Lets review...

Yes, we are well and truly in the second half of 2007
How are you going with your self care goals?
Whats working for you?
What self care practices have you nailed solidly in place?
What do you need to do more of?

July's magic moment...

PLOM's can leave a bad taste in your mouth

A little more on the PLOM (poor little 'ol me) syndrome mentioned in the last post
PLOM's are great at playing the victim - and we can all do that from time to time - the trick is not to make it a habit!!
To do so means we have all care & no responsibility for anything that happens in our life
Its becomes all about what others have done to us
No responsibility is accepted for anything
Much easier from such a perspective to blame others than to reflect on our own behavior & actions
Such behavior is really challenging for others to work with,
Of course its all about an attempt to control others & our environment
Perhaps a better approach would be a little introspection & to focus on controlling or managing our own responses - which is after all the only thing we can genuinely expect to control
Don't be a PLOM - your colleagues will respect you for it & you will be a joy to be around

Vent or moan?

Let me share my thoughts on a number of indicators that a vent has become a moan :

• the person actually appears to flourish by being part of the problem (I say appears to be because underneath it all this is one very unhappy, unfilled person)
  
• it is about being contemptuous and undermining of colleagues and bosses
• no attempt is being made at solution finding
• it is repetitive; before you left for days off the conversation filled the tea room & still fills the tea room on your return from days off
• the poor little ol me (PLOM) syndrome is in evidence - you know its always about someone else & what they have supposedly done to this person - there is no evidence of reflection of the role the individual who is doing the moaning has in the situation
  

Venting

Venting is a healthy activity
Say what you feel, get it off your chest, talk it over with a trusted friend
and then move on with your life gaining a little wisdom from the experience
What is it however that separates a healthy vent from a destructive moan?
At what point in time does a vent become toxic?

We need to ask why...

Why is it that massive amounts of money are being spent on recruiting nurses - yet the monetary compensation for working overtime, night shifts and weekends remains the same and is cited by nurses as a reason why they are leaving the profession.

Music

Music has amazing ability to influence our moods
When was the last time you used music to relax and sooth?

Enjoy...some magic moments

Take your breaks !!

Frequent short breaks keep you sane and
help you manage your stress levels
Do you take your breaks?

Support

Support and a sense of connection is one of the very best self care strategies. How's your support system?
There are many nursing communities out there.
The internet is increasing the options of support.
Check out www.codeblog.com
or www.pixelrn.com these are just two of many on line nursing communities available

The team at Nurses Self Care

Eating well

Does this sound familiar?

You struggle out of bed, grab a quick caffeine fix as you head out the door for the early shift. Work is as busy as usual and in no time at all it is break time. You head to the café to pick up a meal, to be faced with endless choices of sweet, greasy delicacies. As you make your purchase you remind yourself tomorrow will be different and you will pack your own lunch….
Three o’clock rolls around and you are ravenous, so ravenous the vending machine is looking like your long lost lover. Seconds later you have consumed something sweet, something salty, and a bit of fat for good measure all washed down with a diet soda. Clearly this type of lifestyle is not conducive to good health. However how do you turn this around given the time commitments….?

Here are a few tips on how to break the cycle

• Put yourself first, remember you are important enough to take care of
• Think about it the day before, plan ahead
• Eat breakfast, everyday, start by quick on the run breakfasts like a smoothie if you don’t think you have time to sit down
  
• Take fruit and a handful of nuts for a healthier snack option
• Batch cook so that you have a freezer full of delectable delicacies
• Stay hydrated by keeping water close by to drink throughout your shift
  

How do you ensure you get the nutrition you need?
The team at Nurses Self Care

Life essentials

Do you feel torn between the competing demands in your life?
Nurses are known for their compassion...
to others; however we often have to learn to be compassionate to ourselves
Start by implementing the skills of compassionate self care on a daily basis.
A good place to start is simply to treat yourself as you would treat others
then practice, practice, practice until it becomes a habit

The team at Nurses Self Care

Are you your number 1 priority?

Do you feel you neglect your own needs in preference to those of your family, friends and patients? You can't be a good nurses without caring for yourself...
Much as we like to get rid of statements like "you can't" in this particular instance its true
We need to put ourselves at the top of our care list
Make sure you are your number 1 priority today

The team at Nurses Self Care

Hello & welcome

Hello and Welcome to our very first Blog.This has been a dream of ours for some time, and so the level of excitement here is palpable!!

We created this blog to help YOU put yourself first in YOUR life

In 2006 we foundered www.nursesselfcare.com with the intent of providing information, tools and support for nurses based on a core belief that it all starts from a place of self care.

Let us know what you think are the issues in nurses lives and your thoughts and questions in ensuring that Nurses Care for themselves with the multiple demands they face

The Team at Nurses Self Care